Get ready to make one of our family's favorite holiday appetizers, Bacon-Wrapped Dates. It's a quick and easy recipe, and you can make them plain or stuff them with cheese. They are so easy to serve with a toothpick, making them a great party snack.
Why This Recipe is the Best
This recipe is great all year long but makes an especially good appetizer on New Year's Eve, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. It's also the perfect finger food or for a baby shower, book group, girls' night, work party, or social gathering.
I made these for my friend's baby shower, and they were a huge hit! I had some filled with cheese and others I left plain. They were all eaten!
For more appetizer ideas, try our favorites: Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls, Pigs in a Blanket, and Jam and Brie Pastry Puffs.
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Key Ingredients
If you are making these plain, you only need two ingredients! They are simple and quick to make.
- Medjool Dates-We prefer Medjools over other dates because of their size and texture. They have a soft texture, and they are easily stuffed. When I used other dates, they were chewy to eat and hard to stuff.
- Cheese (optional) - Use cheeses such as feta, goat cheese, blue cheese, mascarpone, gorgonzola, cream cheese, or ricotta. Our favorite is feta.
How to make Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Follow these step-by-step instructions for the best results. The pictures below will help with the best rolling technique.
- Cut the bacon strips in half. If stuffing with cheese, take a sharp knife and cut a slit in the date to open it up. Add 1 teaspoon of cheese to each date. Place the date at the edge of the bacon.
- Roll the date in the bacon until it is completely covered and the bacon ends. Slide a toothpick down the center of the date to secure the bacon.
- Place each wrapped date on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cook at 350°F for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and flip over each date.
- Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the bacon starts to become crispy. Serve warm with the toothpick still in the middle.
Hint: You can make this recipe without a toothpick. Using a toothpick is helpful while baking. It helps you flip them over, and it makes it easier to serve.
Top tip
Don't forget to flip them over halfway through cooking for crispy bacon!
Make these Bacon-Wrapped Dates your own by adding variations like cheese, brown sugar, honey, or smoked bacon. Or eat them plain, as is, for a great party appetizer.
Recipe
Easy Bacon Wrapped Dates
Equipment
- air fryer If using this cooking method
Ingredients
- 20 Dried Dates pitted
- 10 Bacon Slices
Optional flavor add ons
- ½ cup Goat Cheese or feta cheese, or blue cheese
- ¼ cup brown sugar sprinkle on halfway through cooking. See notes for additional flavor add ons.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350* F (see notes for air fryer method)
- Cut each bacon strip in half. If stuffing with cheese, cut a slit down the date to make an opening. Place 1 teaspoon of cheese in the center of the date, or leave plain.
- Place the date at the end of the bacon strip and roll until all the bacon is used. Roll each date and then place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip over, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the bacon is the desired crispness.
- Serve plain or with balsamic glaze, honey mustard, or add to a charcuterie board with cheese, or nuts.
Notes
- Preheat to 390* F
- Place wrapped dates at the bottom of an air fryer basket.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Flip over with the toothpicks and cook for additional 5 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.
- When halfway cooked, after flipping over, sprinkle with brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, or even rosemary sprigs for extra flavor.
- Dip in your favorite balsamic glaze.
- Make it spicy by sprinkling red pepper flakes halfway through baking.
- Turkey Bacon - instead of pork bacon, you can use turkey bacon for delicious results.
- Vegan Bacon - make this a vegetarian and vegan meal by replacing pig bacon with your favorite kind of vegan bacon.
- Dairy Free- if you decide to add cheese to this finger food, make it dairy free by using your favorite dairy free or vegan cheese.
- Smoked or Hickory Bacon-Use your favorite style of bacon.
- Figs- Instead of dates, you can wrap dried figs in bacon instead.
Nutrition
Variations
Use these variations to make this recipe just the way you like it!
- Goat Cheese - add 1 teaspoon of goat cheese in the middle of each date and then wrap.
- Feta or Blue Cheese - add 1 teaspoon of feta or blue cheese in the middle of each cut-open Medjool date.
- Maple Syrup- When you take them out of the oven to flip over, drizzle each bite-sized appetizer with maple syrup. Put back in the oven and continue cooking.
- Spicy- Sprinkle the top of the bacon with red pepper flakes for a spicy variation of the dish.
- Honey- Once flipped over, sprinkle honey over the top of each wrapped date.
- Brown Sugar- For a sweeter taste, sprinkle brown sugar after flipping over to finish cooking.
Air Fryer Method
You can easily make these in the air fryer. Place each date at the bottom of the air fryer basket. Cook for 10 minutes at 390°F. Flip each date and cook for 8 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.
How To Serve
You can serve this appetizer with nuts. They pair well with pecans, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or water chestnuts. We've made a delicious spread by serving it with cheeses like brie and gorgonzola. Gouda, or a sharp cheddar, pairs nicely, too. Dip it in homemade Buffalo Sauce.
We've also added them to a charcuterie board! It made a great party dish.
Storing Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. The texture of the bacon may vary when reheated.
You can freeze this recipe for up to one month. Make sure to make and cook, and then cool before putting in an air-tight container and freezing.
When ready to eat, place in the oven or air fryer to warm and crisp.
Yes, once cooked, you can freeze this recipe for 1 month. Simply reheat in the oven or air fryer when ready to serve.
This is a great appetizer because you don't use a lot of bacon per date. They also fit a keto diet.
Andrea says
I love making this appetizer on a toothpick for parties, especially during the holidays like New Years Eve, and Christmas. I love eating them plain or adding goat cheese. It's a perfect sweet and savory bite size snack. I made mine in the air fryer and the bacon was so crispy.